The woman admitted to authorities Thursday evening that she placed the porcelain dolls at the homes.

"Her motivation was out of goodwill," the statement said. "It was a kind gesture."

Lt. Jeff Hallock, a spokesman with the sheriff's department, said the woman who left the dolls intended to give them to families with daughters because her own daughters were now too old for them.

"She was obviously very embarrassed," Hallock said. "She didn't intend it to go this way."

He added the woman did say she chose the dolls specifically to match the girls in the families, which confirmed the parents' initial suspicions.

"Because of the underlying fear that was there throughout the day about the motivation, they obviously had a huge sense of relief that it was somebody that was trying to express kindness," Hallock said.

The department said they will not investigate the case any further.

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Families reported having porcelain dolls left on their doorsteps and told police the dolls seemed to resemble their daughters.(Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Department)